Thousands of people were impacted by the Bug and Stallion Fires, with some facing damage to their homes or losing them completely. The Red Cross of Northern Nevada is working to support those people, whether it be monetarily or even emotionally.
Northern Nevada Red Cross Executive Director Bridget Posson says since closing their shelter on Saturday, they've been able to begin assessing the damage and begin their recovery phase.
“Now we're starting to meet with our clients who have reached out to us, who were affected by the fires, to give them some financial assistance as well as some other additional resources,” said Posson.
Some of those additional resources are health and emotional support, helping with things like replacing lost medication and connecting folks to counseling services in order to work through the trauma a disaster such as the Bug and Stallion Fires leaves behind.
“We can't rebuild people's houses, but we can offer some immediate financial assistance through our procedures and our client intake to be able to give them some immediate assistance as well as those local resources to help them further their recovery process,” said Posson.
The Red Cross is also trying to get folks prepared for any future disasters, as we continue through peak fire season.
“We are not out of wildfire season yet, so get prepared. Make a plan with your family in case you do get evacuated in the future,” said Posson. “The more prepared our community can be, the more we can bounce back and help others in our community.”
The Red Cross can only accept and offer monetary donations to folks who need them, but says their community partners, like Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada, are great at providing items. Information on how to do that can be found here.
To donate to the Red Cross, follow this link. To become a volunteer, click here.
